The Fool and the Fortune
by dmoquinn
Summary: After the events in Golden Week, Naoto knew she would again be requested by the Shadow Operatives for her assistance. However, little did she know that she and her friends would be dragged into yet another mystery. (Persona 2 and Arena spoilers, image coming soon)
1. Introduction

**Why, hello there! If you couldn't tell from the description, this fan fiction (which is also my first) takes place after the events of Persona 4 Arena, and it also brings back some familiar faces from the past Persona games. I hope you enjoy reading this mediocre story!**

**(Note: The Shin Megami Tensei: Persona series is the property of Atlus, and I do not own any of the characters involved.)**

The sun was just beginning its descent once the blue-haired detective exited the executive airplane. _Iwatodai, _she thought, staring out into the horizon. The sky and clouds and the skyline were perfectly in place, as if a recreation straight from a post card. She had visited the city once during a school trip, but just recently she had found the truth of what made this city so intriguing to her.

Naoto Shirogane was still confused and frustrated about the incident in the TV world that happened the previous month. The illusions, the malevolent entity, his foreboding words the moment he came to his defeat. Plus, the realization that other persona-users besides she and the Investigation Team existed. From the moment she obtained knowledge of "personas" and "shadows" from the documents she found late at night online, Naoto contemplated the idea of other people harnessing the same power of persona, but seeing them with her own eyes was that never occurred to her. _And even better, the daughter of the _Kirijo _family. _She chuckled to herself. Naoto knew that there was one who could even analyze between reality and the TV world. _Yamagishi, was it?_

Waking herself up from her daydream, Naoto ventured to the airport's lobby, where her scheduled limousine would arrive to transport her to the Iwatodai Dormitory – the headquarters of the Shadow Operatives.

Right then, a gale of wind pierced her body, and Naoto struggled to keep her cap in place. Though her clothing was suitable enough for the cold, she was unprepared for the windy weather that rolled across the city.

"Ugh, I should've read the weather forecast yesterday!" she regretted, increasing her walking pace to a run. She violently pushed against the wind current and finally reached the airport's back doors, abruptly pulling it open and slamming it behind her. She caught her breath and slowed down, raising her watch to check the time. _7:35 P.M._

The airport's front entrance was a straight shot from the airfield, and through the revolving doors, Naoto spotted a black limousine with a man in shades and a tuxedo behind the wheel. _Perfect timing,_ she thought.

She stepped into the porte-cochere, and the slim window in the black vehicle's back seat rolled down, revealing long red hair and eyes to match.

"Hello, Shirogane," Mitsuru Kirijo's voice spoke with pure elegance. "Please, get in."

"Thank you," Naoto replied, waiting for the automatic doors to open. She ducked her head and sank into the leather seat, closely scanning the vehicle's lavish interior. No one else was inside.

"So how was your flight?" Mitsuru started, her eyes seemingly staring at Naoto's body for any sort of other hint as to how she behaved.

"It was fine. We experienced a few delays due to the inclement weather, but nothing serious." She attached her seatbelt and removed her signature blue hat, revealing her thick navy blue hair that she was trying to grow out. _You should try something new with your hair! _her friend Rise had convinced her.

"That's great." Naoto felt the wheels skid across the road and the vehicle incline as the car entered the expressway.

"So how far is the headquarters from the airport?" she asked, glancing at the tinted windows.

"We'll arrive in the dormitory in about 20 minutes." Naoto could sense Mitsuru's impatience. _Of course, this _is _a pressing issue so far._

After sitting in silence for what seemed like forever, the limousine skidded to a halt and parked in front of what looked like a typical residential building. Mitsuru looked out the window and opened the car's door. Cold air rushed inside, tossing the two's hair around and forcing Naoto to fit her blue cap back onto her head. _Does it need to be this windy? _Naoto complained, biting her lip as she crouched under the car roof and stepped outside.

"If you couldn't tell, this is the headquarters of the Shadow Operatives," the red-haired woman affirmed, gesturing towards the dull-looking edifice. She then looked forward and briskly walked towards the building. Naoto followed Mitsuru's path and couldn't help but notice the regality in her stride. _Maybe it's her boots…_

They both arrived at the building's doorstep and Mitsuru slipped an access card out of her back then waved the back of the card back and forth over the "keyhole" and it made a sharp clicking noise. Mitusru cranked the door handle and revealed the headquarters' main lobby.

"Wow, you guys sure did a good job of camouflaging the building," Naoto remarked with a small laugh. The carpeting was a washed-out pattern of green, and the furniture was composed of solely earth tones. A faint scent of freshly brewed coffee drifted in the air. _Reminds me of my office back at home, _Naoto thought with a sigh.

"Ha, this building was changed very little from its former days as a school dormitory." Mitsuru commented. They continued walking and maneuvered to the staircase in the back of the building. "Two years ago, we had this dormitory closed down, and it was on a hiatus since last year. Since then, we have modified the building to function as the main office for our organization."

"To be honest, this dorm really didn't need many modifications to become a suitable hub for the Shadow Operatives." Her eyes were lost in thought. "Back in high school, I, along with some of my friends, used this building as the headquarters for S.E.E.S., a so-called "school club" dedicated to combating shadows and…" Mitsuru stopped. "I'll tell you more eventually."

"Interesting," Naoto replied. "It's funny, though the thought crossed my mind a few times, I didn't think I'd actually meet another person, let alone a group of _people_, with the power of persona."

They then reached the top of the staircase and faced a mahogany double door with muffled voices mumbling behind it. "Well, you're going to meet quite a few of them within these few days." Mitsuru pushed the door open, and Naoto pondered the idea, _How many of them do exi-_

"WHY CAN'T YOU LEARN TO NOT DRINK BEFORE AN IMPORTANT MEETING!?" a woman sitting in the back yelled.

"ULALA. I ALREADY TOLD YOU, I DID NOT DRINK TODAY. I ONLY TRIPPED BECA-" The two both stopped in their conversations, their faces brimming with anger and annoyance and the other four in the room with their palms flat on their face.

"Oh, Kirijo-san, I'm sorry, I-" the loud-mouthed woman in the back began. Her red hair was in tied in a star-shaped bun, and a cream trench coat covered her body. Her legs were crossed, and she wore black heels on her feet.

"Silence. There's no time for your unnecessary bickering when we have a guest visiting all the way from Inaba." Mitsuru raised a finger to show that she was serious and did not want another word to cross this room.

After shutting the room up, Mitsuru gestured toward Shirogane's petite figure, motioning for her to introduce herself.

"O-Oh, yes. My name is Naoto Shirogane, and I'm pleased to meet you all." Her eyes moved side to side, scanning across the room. Right then, she noticed the two androids – Aigis and Labrys, but the other four presumed members of the Shadow Operatives were strangers. _I think I might have seen him on TV before, _she thought, staring at the blue-scarfed, spectacled male in front of her.

"Welcome, Naoto-san," Aigis greeted. "Has your investigation been doing well so far?"

"Sadly, I've been unable to find any valid leads so far, aside from a few hunches based on the data I've found." _I wonder if the other members will understand this, _Naoto hoped. She then noticed the four unknown faces eyeing her closely, until Labrys broke the silence.

"Oh yeah, that's Yukari," she motioned towards the girl in pink, "the one in the back's Ulala, the one over right _there_," she pointed a metallic finger at the man she recognized, "is Nanjo, and the long-haired one to the left of you is Kaoru." They all made a short greeting and Naoto proceeded to take a seat next to Yukari, who remained quiet.

"Hey, you kind of remind me of someone," Yukari began quietly. She glanced at Mitsuru and Aigis, who also noticed her resemblance to a certain someone. (They all looked at her hair.)

"Is that so?" Naoto replied with a small laugh. Just then, Mitsuru took a seat in the royal-looking armchair in the front of the meeting room, where she could closely watch the other members.

"Now that we have our introductions finished, let us now commence this meeting regarding the recent shadow activity in Inaba." She raised her posture and laid out her documents on the coffee table in front of her, while Naoto and the others followed in suit. The table was soon covered in pie charts, Word documents, and other scattered findings. "Shirogane, please be first in explaining your findings."

Naoto grabbed her scattered papers and began speaking. "From the abilities of the Malevolent Entity has, we can assume that this entity is not a normal shadow, but something much, much more powerful." She pulled out a news article from her findings. "While doing my research, I came across an article from 2000 of the incidents in Sumaru City and the Sudou family."

"Wait, Sumaru City?" Kaoru and Ulala questioned in unison.

"Yes, is something wrong?"

Kaoru and Ulala looked at each other, and Ulala shrugged, as if mentally debating if she should reveal her knowledge. "It's a long story, but we were involved in that series of incidents back then."

Naoto stared at them, her curiosity piqued. "Really? O-Oh, then this piece of information is probably worthless to all of you. I'm sure the three of you are much more experienced with the situation." She tipped her head down slightly.

"Oh, no, go ahead," Nanjo requested. "The media reacted with great power across the world, so I'd like to hear what your source thought of the situation."

"Okay," Naoto answered. "Anyways, in the information it provided about the incidents, it mentioned "persona" and "demons." At that moment, I did more intense research on the subject, and I came across a report of Tatsuya Sudou, stating that he heard "voices." She glanced ahead at Labrys, who was intently listening. "Even though this is random speculation, didn't you say that you heard a voice while waking up from hibernation?"

"Huh?" Labrys scanned through her memories. "That's right, I do remember hearing some kinda voice back then." She paused to recollect an exact description of what happened. "It was a sorta… calming voice, that told me it could grant my wish to become a normal girl."

"I know I'm just grasping at random theories, but because this issue involved personas and shadows, it was much harder to draw to any conclusion," Naoto shrugged. She knew that her logic was faulty.

"Actually, you're not far off base," Kaoru assured her. "We realized that year that Sudou was actually being controlled by this powerful being, known as the Crawling Chaos. Nyarlathotep." He took a deep breath. "Nyarlathotep is all of man's great evil contained into one being. He has the power to obtain many different forms and manipulate people." Kaoru gripped a wine glass in front of him and took a swig of the drink.

"So then, could 'Nyarlathotep' be the person that orchestrated this whole thing?" Yukari asked.

"Let's not jump to conclusions yet." Mitsuru ordered. "Though this is worth investigating into, we still need more evidence to officially make a conclusion." The room fell silent. "That is why, starting next week, we will commence further investigation in Inaba and the TV world."

"But Mitsuru-san, wouldn't we require the assistance of Naoto's friends as well? I wouldn't want to intrude on their school life…" Aigis worried.

Mitsuru sighed, sinking back into her chair. "That's right, I haven't thought about that." She turned towards Naoto, noticing the quickly darkening sky just past the window. "Shirogane, if possible, would you be willing to help us in our exploration? It would be greatly appreciated if your other friends could, as well. Of course, this is with regards to your school life, so we'd be willing to accommodate your schedule if necessary."

Naoto reflected on the issue, wondering if she should drag her friends into the fracas with her, as she already knew herself that she wanted to continue the investigation. _This situation _does _concern us as well, _she reasoned, _especially since the malevolent entity was targeting all of us._

She then made her decision. "I'll do it, but as for my friends, I'll contact them tonight and get back to you by tomorrow."

Mitsuru looked at her with eyes of gratitude. "Thank you." Naoto bowed slightly in response.

The red-haired leader then straightened her posture and faced the entirety of the group. "Now then, it appears that we have all matters settled for today, marking the end of this meeting. Oh, and Shirogane," she called to Naoto. "Feel free to stay in one of our empty rooms for tonight. It will make communication regarding the issue much easier."

"I will, thank you."

After letting the other members exit the meeting room first, Naoto ventured into the hallway, quietly shutting the double doors behind her. _Hm, this will be interesting, _she thought with a smile. She stepped down the flight of stairs with her luggage in hand and turned right into a desolate hallway, lit only by a dim lamp in the corner.

"Which room should I choose…?" she briefly wondered. Not wanting to take too long making a petty decision, she chose the room immediately to her left and dropped her belongings on the floor, scanning the bland room before her. _Might as well prepare for bed, _she told herself. Grabbing night clothes and toiletries, she entered the bathroom and prepared for her slumber.

That night, a blue butterfly dritfted over the dormitory.


	2. Dreams and Nightmares

"Welcome to the Collective Unconscious."

Naoto's eyelids slowly creaked open her vision heavily blurred. _Where am I? _She could only remember falling into a peaceful sleep, but what happened beforehand was a complete blur.

"Don't be afraid, you are merely in a dream," the bellowing voice answered. Naoto blinked repeatedly, and her eyesight slowly regained its clarity. She turned both directions and gazed at her surroundings – a never-ending expanse of midnight sky circled around her in the distance. An armada of glowing stars looked down on her, each one glowing brightly. _It's so beautiful, _she mused, awestruck.

Her eyes were brought back to the room's center, which was floored with checkered tiles, bordered by a series of golden columns that rose high upwards. An ornate dome with quotes she couldn't make out loomed above her, with an engraving shaped vaguely like a butterfly. A blue glow hazed over the entire temple, giving her a warm, almost spiritual aura in her body.

At that moment, she noticed a group of tiny starlings forming under each column of the temple, and each one began growing into a white, human silhouette. Each figure surrounded the butterfly emblem in the temple's center, something that reminded Naoto of some sort of spiritual ritual. These silhouettes then grew into bodies, and faces, and personalities, and the detective easily recognized each one of them.

"Mitsuru… san?" Naoto groggily called to the first person she recognized. She received no answer – the others, aside from a select few of them, were as confused as her.

Just then, a spiraling column of yellow butterflies appeared above the emblem in the center. The butterflies multiplied in quantity, and the rising tower quickly ascended to the top of the temple, with a golden light emanating from within. A mysterious apparition then came forth from inside the swarm of butterflies, causing the column to vanish.

"My name is Philemon, a dweller in this ever expanding sea of consciousness," the man introduced. A white butterfly mask covered one half of his face, and he wore a black suit covering his entire body. "I see that I have met a certain few of you previously." He glanced across the room in search for their faces, and they made odd expressions in response.

"Philemon," started Nanjo, "why have you summoned us here?"

Philemon smiled underneath his mask, knowing that was the first question to be asked. "I have summoned you all to warn you of the ordeal that you will be facing." His eyes stared into Naoto's own, and she could feel her persona yelp in awe.

"The foe that has started this series of events now possesses much greater power than he has ever before," he lamented. "If all of you fail to pursue the mystery that lays ahead, your lives and the lives of all humanity will be at stake."

"But first, I can sense that many of you standing here may only use one persona, is that correct?" Naoto, Yukari, Mitsuru, and Labrys all nodded in response.

"To brave the obstacles this formidable opponent will give you, I will give you all my blessing and grant you your secondary arcana." The detective scowled in confusion. _Secondary arcana?_

"Think of this as another one of the masks you wear to face the challenges of life, allowing you to obtain other personas that best suit the individual that you are," Philemon explained, as if reading her mind.

"So is this power like the one Aigis has?" Yukari questioned.

"Yes, but her ability allows her to use personas of all arcana. This, however, does not mean she is any more of a decent human than you." the masked deity assured.

Just seconds after, he soon engulfed himself in another swarm of golden butterflies and levitated above the temple's center. He outstretched one arm to Naoto and one of his butterflies glided towards her heart.

"Huh?" she gaped. "This feeling…" Her heart felt lighter, and she tilted her head up to find a blue tarot card shining above her head. She grasped it and stared at its front side. _The Hermit._ She read the Hermit's description before – wisdom, solitude, isolation. _I guess it's true that I'm a bit isolated from my friends, _she thought with regret.

She then crushed the tarot card, and a cloud of blue fog burst in the air, revealing a black silhouette of a new identity growing within her.

"I am thou, and thou art I," it proclaimed. "I am Amatsu Mikaboshi. I will lend you my guidance for now." The persona returned to Naoto's heart, and she intensely watched the others as they obtained their secondary arcana.

Tarot cards appeared in front of each newly blessed persona-users, but Naoto couldn't see what was drawn or written on them. As each of them crushed the cards, clouds of velvet blue erupted from inside them, revealing their personas.

The clouds then dissipated, and the overwhelming power in the temple subsided.

"Now then, it is time that you face the world created within your dreams that awaits you," Philemon warned.

_What, now!? _Naoto still needed a question to be answered. "Wait, Philemon! How will we-"

He disappeared.

The warm feelings from Philemon's temple vanished, and Naoto could only feel cold darkness.

"W-What's going on?"

**000000000**

She was standing in a wasteland.

Sprawling puddles of viscous blood covered the green-hued sidewalk, giving off a pungent smell that pierced her nostrils. All of the streetlights flickered, glowing with a grimy color until they shut off permanently. Innocent peoples' bodies were being overtaken by a black, slimy substance that swelled up from within them. Screams echoed in the distance.

"Are these… shadows!?" Naoto exclaimed, gazing at all of the darkness, all of the blood, all of the bodies being eaten from within.

Her eyes then looked upwards past the series of rowhomes, and she gasped in fear.

An enormous black orb loomed ominously above the wasteland that lay below, slowly descending to touch the surface of this warped Earth. The clouds orbited around the body as the entity slowly absorbed the green-tinged clouds. Pieces of its net-like arms broke off and Naoto could hear a thundering crush as it crashed upon a nearby building.

Naoto's eyes then dragged to its center, and she could only see a red iris in the center of the entity's body. It was staring at her. It was staring at the land that was destroyed.

_Please, let this be a nightmare, _she hoped. But Naoto already heard Philemon's words and knew her wishes were useless.

"Shirogane-san!" Naoto swiftly turned back to hear a woman's shriek.

"This one's huge! We need to call the others, but I don't know where they are!" Yukari gasped in a panic. She tore across the asphalt, desperately looking left and right for any sight of the others. Behind her was an amassing of the same black liquid that overtook the young woman's body, growling and spitting black fluid that multiplied into even more of them. Naoto instantly knew what it was.

"A shadow!?" she yelled. "Yukari-san, there isn't any time! We have to fight it!" she said, taking a battle stance and focusing her mind on summoning her other self.

Heeding her call, Yukari nodded and pulled out a gun, aiming it to her head. Naoto has seen this before – they called it an evoker.

"Persona!" they shouted simultaneously, releasing a series of blue clouds above their heads. The familiar voice of Yamato Sumeragi echoed in the air, and a sphere of energy dropped from the sky. _Megidolaon._

"Stay back!" Naoto ordered, bracing herself while keeping an eye on the descending orb.

_3, 2, 1._

"Agh!" the two of them screamed as the energy hit the ground, bursting into a violet cloud of sheer force. She ducked down, narrowly evading the countless debris that nearly crushed her skull. The shadows shrieked in pain, but they continued charging.

At that moment, Naoto could vaguely hear her persona shriek a warning. _Wait, there's a second blow!_ she realized, looking back at the persistent shadows that frantically scrambled across the asphalt for a way to dodge the attack.

Just then, she felt herself being blown into the air and her eyes met again with the monster that dominated the skies. She crashed onto the sidewalk, bruised and with a crimson cut down her shin. _I must get up, _she told herself, feeling for something to grab and pull herself up. Failing, she kneeled with a pained grunt and stood up.

"Are you okay?" Yukari asked in concern, instinctively pulling the evoker's trigger. "Isis!"

Her persona casted a healing spell on the battered Naoto, and she felt rejuvenated and ready to fight.

"Come, Yamato Sumeragi!" she called, crushing a tarot card. A ring of flames surrounded the mass of shadows that was weakened, but still very powerful. The ring of fire caved in and erupted with a roar, sending smoke hurtling through the sky.

The shadow let out a sharp cry and a part of it vanquished. _Good, just a couple more attacks left, _Naoto thought with relief. She raised another card and spun it, revealing her newly obtained Hermit arcana. Feeling her mind clearing once again, she swiftly pulled a pistol from a latch on her side and aimed it perfectly at the tarot card, keeping her stance precise.

Curling her finger back on the trigger, she let a golden bullet fire straight into the eye of the Hermit arcana, releasing Amatsu Mikaboshi above her. Its forceful words rang in her head: _I will lend you my guidance for now._

Her persona screened her vision with a target, and she instantly knew what to do. She aimed her pupil straight into the eyes of Yukari's, and all of the powers Isis had rushed into Amatsu Mikaboshi. Yukari cringed slightly, and Naoto felt a hint of regret well up within her.

"Come forth!" she ordered, and a cyclone of wind encircled the shadow, spinning it in circles until it finally vanquished.

Both of them crouched down, gasping. Even after defeating the powerful shadow, Naoto felt no sense of peace or relief. She was still trapped in a nightmarish world that was unknown to her.

"Huh, I'm sure out of practice," Yukari lamented as she slowly stood back up and strapped her evoker into a loop in her belt. Her expression darkened. "Wait, this is…" She stared up at the celestial body watching over the destruction. "Nyx… The Fall…"

"What do you mean?" Naoto questioned in curiosity.

"That thing in the sky, it's called Nyx. Two years ago, we…" Yukari stopped.

"Takeba! Shirogane!" a voice shouted.

"Mitsuru-san, you're safe!" Yukari exclaimed, letting out a relieved sigh.

"Come on, there's no time to waste. We need to find the others, and quickly!"

Naoto and Yukari turned to face each other. "Let's spread out to find the others," Yukari suggested. Naoto nodded and they set off.

The detective sprinted past the dying streetlights and brutally crushed cars for any sight of the others Operatives. _Where could they all be!? _she panicked. Another piece of Nyx's arms broke off, and it landed just a few meters ahead of her, exploding. Naoto fell backwards, and was faced with a barrier blocking her from going any further. It was sparking with electricity, just written with "don't cross" all over.

"Are you kidding me?" Naoto ran the opposite direction and tightly squeezed through an alleyway that reeked of ashes and garbage, forcing her to cover her nose with her jacket. She narrowly dodged a growling shadow and escaped out of the other end, recognizing two other Shadow Operatives combating a viscous shadow. Kaoru flicked a coin at the shadow and it perished in one hit.

"Ulala-san! Kaoru-san!" she called as she ran towards them. "We need to meet with the other Operatives, and quickly!" Ulala and Kaoru responded without question and followed her.

The three of them escaped into a wide avenue that was covered in lifeless bodies being eaten from inside. They skipped over the bodies and the shadows before seeing the other members battling another shadow.

"Don't worry, we've got this one covered!" Labrys assured, catching her gargantuan axe in one hand. With a final swing of the weapon, the shadow dissipated, releasing a loud shriek. A dead silence followed as they all regained their composure. Naoto took a whiff of the air and smelled ashes and burning rubber.

"What in the world is this?" Aigis exclaimed, staring at the nearly obliterated landscape of falling buildings and shadows.

"This looks just like what happened during the Fall," Mitsuru speculated, her eyes cast downward. "I never thought I'd ever see this again." They stared up at Nyx, who was slowly descending upon them. But for some reason, the Shadow Operatives felt no effect on them, unlike the innocent people being turned into shadows.

"Hm? A door?" Aigis said. Naoto and the others stared at her, and they found an ornate blue door inscribed with a cursive 'V'. "The Velvet Room," Aigis whispered to herself. She opened the door.

But she wasn't prepared for what she saw.


	3. The Velvet Door

**Hey guys! Sorry I haven't updated in such a long time, but I have finally written the third chapter (though it's a bit short). Please feel free to review this work so far, as I am willing to hear your comments.**

The moment Aigis reluctantly cranked the cerulean door's handle and pulled it open, Naoto braced herself for a shadow or monster or criminal to leap out and attack (she clutched her pistol just in case.) Glancing at the expressions of the other members' curious faces, she wondered why the others were so calm, even when encountering what could seem like a foolish trap.

But once the door swung open, a blinding light emanated from within, forcing her to shield her eyes and squint. The light gained more strength until Naoto couldn't even tell where she was standing and she let out a faint "huh?" in confusion.

"What's going on?" Aigis exclaimed, her footsteps trailing away from the door.

The light subsided, and Naoto's eyelids cautiously creaked open.

She found herself lost in a stream of velvet blue whose current pulled her inside. No longer was Naoto standing in the apocalyptic nightmare she encountered just moments ago, but she felt at peace, like she was in Philemon's temple.

Naoto turned to the side to find the faded images of her fellow colleagues, who were dumbfounded by their surroundings. Indistinguishable voices rang in the air, and to each side she found odd names running backward in the stream. _Pyro Jack, Orpheus, Susano-o – wait, are these persona names? _she pondered. Memories of her dear friends summoning their personas in battle appeared in her mind, but she cleared the thoughts, not wanting to distract herself.

"Hey, what's over there!" Naoto heard from behind. She sharply turned backward and found Yukari pointing her finger while trying to keep her hair from recklessly tossing around in the blue tunnel. Naoto faced forward to find a silhouette slowly approaching them.

She examined the figure closer, and its features gained clarity. The shadowy human's hair fell to around its neck, and judging by its body type, it was probably male. He wore a jacket on his body, with an emblem resembling the BMW logo that glowed mysteriously. Naoto's eyes looked up to find a single eye illuminating.

"What in the world…" she murmured, astonished. The floating figure landed on the tunnel's seemingly nonexistent floor, and the silhouette finally turned into an actual human. The body gained color, and it wore an apparent Gekkoukan High uniform. His eyes stared off into the distance.

Blue hair, just like her own. _Didn't Yukari-san say that I- _she stopped in thought to hear a surprised cry from behind.

"Makoto-san…?" Aigis and Yukari gaped in unison. Yukari rushed to meet the stranger's emotionless face, but Aigis froze in place. Naoto watched as she studied the blue-haired man intensely, compulsively twitching her fingers as she observed.

Yukari panted heavily and reached forward to touch Makoto's hands. "Is it really you?" she whispered, just barely audible for Naoto's curious ears to hear. Yukari moved to the side and glanced at Aigis, whose eyes were somber.

"W-Wait, we're in a dream… aren't we," Yukari lamented, stepping away towards Aigis. Naoto bit her lip and wished she knew just who this "Makoto" even was.

"Who are you, and what do you want with us?" Kaoru questioned.

Makoto's eyes gazed upward and he spoke with great authority.

"There is no time to waste. Follow me."


	4. A Memory

Naoto and the Operatives then followed Makoto through the blue vortex, which, from their current position, looked as if there was no end to this tunnel. The detective was perplexed by the entire situation – what was that apocalyptic nightmare world, and why was she following a mysterious stranger who she couldn't even trust?

"Where are you taking us?" she asked sharply, her voice becoming irritable.

"I'll explain once we get there, it'll only take a moment," Makoto responded. Naoto would've retorted, but it would just be a waste of time. She continued walking cautiously, but suddenly she heard a familiar accented voice speak to her.

"Hey, Naoto-kun," Labrys started. Naoto turned to meet the robot's bright red, inquisitive eyes. Her icy turquoise hair flowed with the air current pushing towards them, and her enormous axe was strapped to her torso like a butterfly's wings.

"What is it?" she responded.

"I know this isn't really the right time, but… how are the others doin' back in Inaba?" It was only natural for her to be curious – the Investigation Team _was_ the main "contestants" in that "Grand Prix" series of events.

"They're all doing fine back home, but they're still disconcerted from the incidents last month," Naoto explained, increasing her pace to match Makoto's. "Yu-kun left a while ago, yet luckily he's still in touch with us regarding our _current _investigation."

"Well, as long as they aren't panicking," Labrys said with a snicker. Naoto laughed too to ease her tension.

_Bam! _Her nose whacked against Ulala's back as she came to an abrupt stop.

"Sorry!" she apologized quickly. Ulala replied with a grunt, and Naoto looked forward to see Makoto forming a source of energy within his hands. She stared intently, hearing Aigis and Yukari gasp in unison. The ball of light escaped his hands to form a pure white rectangle standing firmly against the motion of the tunnel.

"Is this…" Aigis began. The object manifested to form another blue door, with a signature golden 'V' carved intricately into the center, illuminating.

"Another door?" Yukari said, puzzled. She rushed towards the door and grasped the knob, preparing to twist and yank it open, until Makoto stopped her.

"Just wait and see," he murmured. Lightly pushing her hand out of the way, he twisted the knob and carefully opened the door, revealing a shining bluish light. The others crowded around Makoto with determined but hesitant faces, until Mitsuru gave her order.

"Let's go."

**000000**

Once Naoto got past the blinding blue lights, all she saw was a vast expanse of gold. The fleecy, golden texture covering the floor rolled like waves – sand, that is.

The giant walls of the room along with the ionic columns lining them all reflected the color of the sand. _To think that the mirrored walls could handle being slammed into by these… giant waves of sand, _Naoto mused, the rumbling of the sands becoming louder. She stared forward to see another of the golden walls, but with moving carvings. _Eyes? _she wondered. The etchings of eyes spied each sector of the room, as if protecting what hung in the wall's center.

A crucified, frozen figure dangled from above, keenly watching over the rolling sand dunes.

_Who is that? _Naoto wondered curiously. Its figure looked familiar, but she couldn't exactly pinpoint who it was. She would expect that this human was kidnapped or murdered, but rather than looking helpless, it looked as if it was doing this… intentionally.

The golden figure above was staring down at the center, where a woman stood, her body looking weak. _Wait, there's another person!? _she wondered, closely analyzing her. The strange woman was dressed in a deep blue stewardess's outfit and boots of the same color, while her hair was a very light blonde and cropped short, even shorter than Naoto's own. She seemed so familiar, but Naoto just couldn't remember her name.

"Why… why can't I save him?" a high-pitched voice lamented, echoing against the walls. The rumbling stopped, and the sands' torrenting waves halted to a stop. "Even after constantly defeating the monstrosity that grows each year, it's impossible for him to come back."

The woman in blue knelt on one knee and swiftly turned backwards to face away from the statue. Naoto caught a glimpse of her yellow eyes, which were tainted with sorrow.

She stood up and raised her head. "Should I just… give up?" The woman, expecting a response, tipped her head back down and stared at the sandy floor, kicking it lightly with one of her velvet blue boots. "I already know that man's resolve to die can't change, so why even bother?" she lamented with a deep sigh.

At that moment, Naoto could feel her personae cry in unison. _What's going on? _she wondered. She could feel… fear growing inside her, but no stimuli were in sight. Naoto brushed it off, thinking it was nothing to worry about.

"But what if there was a world where he could be free?"

_Hang on, who..? _Naoto couldn't recognize the low, masculine voice that bellowed across the room. However, she knew that the foreign voice's presence was not good.

"What?" the woman whispered. "Who are you?" She reached out, as if trying to touch the voice that called.

"I am the one who can grant your desires," the voice beckoned. _This is not good, _Naoto knew immediately. She thought back to Labrys's story. _It has to be the enemy we're looking for._

"What do you mean?"

"Imagine a world where your precious one is set free from the chains of destiny," the entity began. "A world where dear Makoto can always be by your side." _No, _she thought. _That's Makoto?_

"But," the woman resisted. "A world like that would mean… the end of all humanity." She paced forward in thought.

"Do not worry," the entity "calmed." "Think of it as another reality, a place where you can have Makoto to yourself and experience true happiness once again."

"Another reality?" the woman wondered. "Can that be created?" _No, resist! Resist! _Naoto mentally tried to convince, though her attempts would prove to be useless.

"With my help, it can." The voice grew more persuasive with each word it uttered.

The woman stared up at the ceiling once again. "If it won't damage the human world, then," She took a breath. "I don't see why not…" Her voice was reluctant but firm.

The memory faded to black.


End file.
